Reversible towel rack



July 5,1927.

G. E. HARRIS REVERSIBLE TOWEL RACK Filed Sept. 29, 1923 zaeaz E HAZE/6 INVENTOR /MW% M.

ATTORNEY Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES GEORGE E. HARRIS, F SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE TOWEL RACK.

Application filed September 29, 1923. Serial No. 665,689.

My invention relates to reversible towel racks and has to do with the provision of a novel collapsible rack, which will take up very little space when in a receiving or extended position and even less space when in a collapsed or lowered position.

My invention primarily contemplates the provision of a rack which maybe attached to any wall surface and yet extend but a short distance from the wall and which rack is reversible in that it can be attached to the wall either from right or left hand position. Its operation which consists in raising and holding it in a horizontal or receiving position and lowering it to a collapsed or disengaged position is accomplished by novel and simple means.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a rack which takes up a minimum amount of space and the article receiving arms of which are disposed parallel with the base, or surface to which the rack is attached. The result is that towels or other articles all hang parallel with the base and wall, make a neat appearance and do not extend out in different directions from the wall, and yet the arms are long enough to support any towel by its full width.

A further object of my invention consists in the provision of a pivoted supporting means for the rack, one end of which may engage the base to support the rack arms in extended position or which may hang freely suspended from the rack to position the rack 35 arms in lowered position. In this case, when the rack is not in use, or when the towels or other articles suspended therefrom are dry it can be made to take up even less space by dropping the parallel arms from a horizontal position to a flat position adjacent the wall, and yet, still retain the articles hanging thereon.

Other features of my invention will be apparent as this description progresses and will be brought out in the claims appended hereto.

The various objects of my invention are preferably obtained by the structure illustrated in the drawings, wherein similar char 50 a-cters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front perspective View of my reversible towel rack, showing the pivoted rack in horizontal supported position and also showing the supporting arms extending parallel to the rack base.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the-struc ture shown in Figure 1 and also showing, in dotted lines, the rack and its support in raised disengaged position and also in disengaged lowered position. y In the drawings, my reversible towel rack comprises a base plate 1 having holes therein as at 2, of such form that it may be attached to a wall or other surface. This base plate 1 has a pair of flanges 3 and a pair of lugs at extending therefrom and forming an integral part thereof. The flanges 3 each have a hole 5 therein which form a bearing for the bent ends 7 of a U-shaped support 6.

Rigidly attached and spaced to the said U-shaped supporting bar 6 extend a plurality of parallel supporting arms 8, 9 and 10 which together with the U-shaped bar 6 form the rack proper for towels or other articles. Preferably connected to the arm 8. of the rack and attached to that part of the arm 8 which is inside of the U-shaped bar 6, is a smaller U-shaped support 11, which is, in the form shown, pivoted to the arm 8 by having its ends coiled around said arm to form eyelets as at 12.

The U-shaped support 11' swings freely from said arm 8 and act-s as a brace or support for the rack when in a horizontal position, by having the closed end of the U rest on the smalllug at, as best shown in solid lines in Figure 2. lVhen the towels or other articles on the rack are dry and the rack is not in use, the entire rack can be made to hang flat against the wall by merely lifting it up a slight distance as indicated in Figure 2. which causes the U-shaped support 11 to slip off the small lug 4. This allows the rack to drop flat against the wall or base plate. When it is desired to raise the rack again to a horizontal position, all that is required is that the rack be raised until the small U-shaped brace or support 11 is 100 in a position to engage and rest upon the small lug 4-, thereby holding the rack in a horizontal position again.

When the rack is not in use and it is in lowered position against the base Plate, the inner rod 8 touches lug 4 preventing the rack proper from coming in contact with the wall surface to which the base is attached, and prevents that surface from becoming marred by having the rack constantly contacting therewith, when dropped to a disengaged position. v

It will be apparent that I have provided a simple, compact rack that obviates the objection to most towel racks in that they project out into the room too far and take up a considerable amount of space, by having the arms 8, 9, and 10 of the rack run parallel to the base plate or wall surface. hen the rack is not in use it may be made to take up even less space by dropping or swinging it back against the wall in the manner herein described, and this may be done without removing the towels or articles hanging thereon.

Furthermore it will be noted that the bars 8,9 and 10 forming the rack of my inven tion are fixedly spaced in relation to each other, so that when the rack is in a horizontal position the towels or other articles which may be suspended thereon do not come in contact with each other.

It will. further be seen that my rack has another important feature in that it is reversible. It can be attached to a wall from either a right or left hand position because the rack itself attached to the outwardly extending pair of flanges 3 will swing equally well to either side of the said flanges. The small supporting means 1-1, attached to the rack arm 8, also swings equally well to either side. As there is a pair of lugs on the base plate, one on each side of the flanges 3, itis obvious that when the rack is in a horizontal position the small supporting arm 11 will engage the lug t on either side of the said flanges 3 and support the rack in a horizontal position whether it is attached to a wall at either a right or left hand position.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

' 1. A reversible towel rack comprising an attaching base, flanges protruding from said base, lugs extending from said base and disposed above and below said flanges, and a supporting member carrying a plurality of horizontally spaced article carrying arms including a pawl pivotally secured to the flanges of said base, the said pawl being adapted to engage either of said lugs to hold said supporting member in a substantially horizontal plane in either of the reversed positions of said base.

:2. A towel rack comprising an attaching base, a supporting member pivoted to said base, a plurality of normally vertically spaced article-carrying arms respectively attached at one end to said supporting'member and having their free ends extending laterally in the same direction and in fixed parallel relation to each other and to said base, a lug carried by said base and a pawl associated with said supporting member and said article-carryingarms, said pawl being detachably en ageable with said lug to sup port said article-carrying arms in a substantially horizontal plane.

3. A reversible towel rack comprising a base, a supporting member pivoted to said base, a plurality of normally vertically spaced article-carrying arms respectively attached at one end to said supporting member and having their free ends extending laterally in the same direction and in parallel relation to each other and to said base, lugs carried by said base and positioned on opposite sides of said pivot and a pawl associated with said supporting member and article-carrying arms, said base being reversible to position said article-carrying arms on either side of a vertical line passing through said base, and said pawl being engageable with one or the other of said lugs to support said article-carrying arms in a substantially horizontal plane in either of the reversed positions of said base.

l. A reversible towel rack comprising an attachim base, a U-shaped supporting member pivoted to said base, a plurality of spaced article-carrying arms respectively attached at one end to both legs of said U-shaped member and having their free ends extending laterally in parallel relation to each other and to said base, lugs carried by said base and positioned on opposite sides of said pivot, and a. pawl pivoted to one of said article-carrying arms between its points of attachment to the legs of said supporting member, said base being reversible to point the free ends of said article-carrying arms in either of two opposite directions, and said pawl being engageable with one or the other of said lugs to support said article-carrying arms in a substantially horizontal plane when such arms are pointed in either of said opposite directions.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature.

GEORGE EL HARRIS. 

